January 8, 2007

Monday, January 8, 2007

This Week in Walsh University Athletics

Tues. 9 Women's Basketball (H) Malone College 6 pm AM 900 WCER

Men's Basketball (H) vs. Malone College 8 pm (900 AM WCER)

Sat. 13 Women's Basketball (A) University of Rio Grande 2 pm

Men's Basketball (A) University of Rio Grande 4 pm (900 AM WCER)

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Cavs' (14-3, 5-1 AMC S) Streak at Nine/Malone Next

NAIA No. 11 Walsh (14-3, 5-1 AMC S) picked-up two American Mideast Conference South wins last week to extend its winning streak to nine games.  This is the longest win streak since 2004-05, when the Cavs put together a 13-game win streak and won the NAIA Division Two championship.  The Cavs have also won 11 of their last 12 games.  The Cavs and Mount Vernon Nazarene are tied for first place in the AMC South, with identical 5-1 conference marks.  Walsh rolled over Urbana University 101-63 and Ohio Dominican University 85-66 last week.  This week, the Cavs host rival Malone College on Tuesday at 8 pm, and then travel to the University of Rio Grande on Saturday at 4 pm for a pair of AMC South games.  Both games will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER, and on the Internet at www.wcer.us.

Walsh led from start to finish, in routing Urbana University last Wednesday.  The Cavs scored the first 16 points of the game, and never looked back.  They lead 50-28 at the half, shooting .538 from the floor in the first half.  Walsh shot .537 from the field in the second half and held their largest lead at 90-40 and 101-61.  Everybody played and scored, as the Cavs placed three players in double figures.  Corey Jones (Jr., Avon Lake, OH/Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) led all scorers with 20 points.  Eder Araujo (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil/Odete de Freitas) had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Adam Lesch (Sr., Newark, OH/HS) scored 15 points.  Brandon Weems (Jr., Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) dished out nine assists.

Walsh won its ninth straight game, defeating Ohio Dominican University 85-66 on Saturday.  Eder Araujo scored 12 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, as the Cavs took a 38-33 lead into the locker room.  The second half was all Walsh, as they jumped on the Panthers with a 15-3 run in the first eight minutes to extend their lead to 53-37.  The Cavs would post their largest lead at 71-48 with 5:27 to play.  Araujo posted his second straight double-double, adding a career-high 17 rebounds to his 25 points.  Adam Lesch added 16 points, Corey Jones 13 points and Brandon Speck (Fr., Mansfield, OH/St. Peter's) 12 points off the bench.  Brandon Weems handed out 13 assists.  Weems is averaging 8.9 assists per game, tops in the NAIA.

Walsh and Malone College (11-6, 1-4 AMC S) continue their rivalry on Tuesday at Walsh's Alumni Arena.  This will be the 93rd meeting between the two rivals, with Walsh holding a 54-38 series advantage.  The Cavs won both games last year, and have a five-game win streak in the series.  Walsh has posted wins in 14 of the last 15 games.  Malone has dropped their last two games, including an 83-78 decision at Rio Grande on Saturday.  The Cavs and Rio Grande (8-10, 3-3 AMC S) meet for the second time this season in Bob Evans Country on Saturday.  The Cavs bested the Redmen 98-90 at Walsh on December 2.  The Cavs have won the last five games, but trail in the all-time series 43-34.  Rio is coming off an 83-78 win over Malone last Saturday.  The Redmen host Mount Vernon Nazarene on Tuesday.  Walsh is also welcoming the return of senior point guard Jason Hicks (Sr., Cleveland, OH/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) to the hardwood in the Malone game.  Hicks has only one semester of eligibility left and opted to play second semester. He averaged 13.8 points last year and was named Walsh's Male Athlete of the Year and was selected NAIA Honorable Mention All-America.

Corey Jones leads the Cavs in scoring with a 14.9 average.  Eder Araujo is averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, which leads the AMC and is 13th in the NAIA.  Adam Lesch is 7th in the NAIA in field goal percentage (.654) and Brandon Speck is 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.494).  The Cavs are 32-5 at home under Head Coach Jeff Young since the start of the 2004-05 season.  Young's overall mark is 69-22, with a .758 winning percentage, tops in Walsh history.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Cavs (3-11, 1-5 AMC S) Look to Right Ship against Malone

Walsh (3-11, 1-5 AMC S) is out to snap a two-game skid, when they host rival Malone College at Alumni Arena on Tuesday night (6 pm).  The game will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER and on the Internet at www.wcer.us.  The Cavs dropped two American Mideast Conference South games last week (Urbana University/Ohio Dominican).  After hosting Malone on Tuesday, the Cavs travel to the University of Rio Grande on Saturday at 2 pm.

Walsh rallied from a 15-point first half deficit, only to fall 68-62 to Urbana University last Tuesday.  Walsh trailed 33-18 in the first half, but rallied to trim the Urbana lead to 41-33 at halftime.  Urbana pushed the lead back to ten points (49-39) with 13:39 to play, when the Cavs rallied.  Walsh outscored Urbana 11-1, to pull with one-point at 51-50 with 8:59 to play.  The Cavs tied the game at 55-55 on a basket by Chrissy Summers (Fr., Doylestown, OH/Chippewa) with 7:24 left, and took their largest lead at 58-55, on a three pointer from Leah Seaman (Fr., Louisville, OH/HS) with 6:55 to play.  Urbana regained the lead at 60-58 with 5:18, and then snapped a 62-62 tied with 2:33 to play.  The Cavs failed to score in the final 3:42.  Summers and Seaman paced the Cavs scoring atack.  Summers led with 13 points, while Seaman added 10.  Both came off the bench. 

Ohio Dominican led from start to finish in defeating Walsh 79-67 last Saturday.  Despite shooting just 28% in the first half, Walsh trailed only 31-25 at the half.  The Cavs cut the lead to three points (31-28) on the first possession of the second half, but could get no closer.  Walsh placed just two players in double figures, led by Ingrid Brainard's (Sr., Madison, OH/HS) 19 points.  Brittani Maddox (R-Fr., Cleveland Heights, OH/HS) added 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Walsh and Malone College (11-7, 3-3 AMC S) meet for the 57th time on Tuesday, with Malone holding a 29-27 advantage.  The Pioneers and Cavs split the season series last season.  Malone is coming off an 83-76 loss at Rio Grande on Saturday.   The two teams meet for the Mayor's Cup, at Malone, on Saturday, February 3.  Walsh and Rio Grande (11-7, 3-3 AMC S) meet for the second time this season on Saturday.  Rio Grande won 85-62, at Walsh on December 2.  Rio leads the all-time series 29-16.  The Cavs and Rio split the season series last year.

Ingrid Brainard leads the Cavs in scoring (11.6) and is the only player in double figures.  Brainard, Walsh's all-time assist leader (450), has 57 assists on the season, and leads the team in steals (36) and free throw percentage (.815).  Brittani Maddox leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.7 per game.